16 December 2022, 22:59
john c.mini 14 scope
i have an older ruger mini 14 in the 141 serial # series that rides around 24/7 in my kawasaki mule on a ranch. it has a red dot site that always has a dead batt when i need it, which is rarely. looking for a 4X short lightweight scope that will sit on the top Piccininni rail. any suggestions?
25 December 2022, 07:03
sambarman338Sorry to hear about those batteries but not so surprised. Your need is probably governed by resistence to the double shunt of the self-loading action and being used to a highly visible reticle, as well as size.
Ray Atkinson would probably recommend a Leupold Compact 2.5x or a later version. If you can find one, I'd prefer an old reticle-movement scope of about the same size.
Nickel, Pecar, Kahles and Unertl come to mind but there are others. Zeiss/Hensoldt, Unertl and Kahles made neat 4× scopes with smallish objectives but some of the others were a bit big for your purpose.
If you get one with the German #1 reticle it will be plenty for low-light situations except, just maybe, when hunting black bear.
PS: obviously you won't be chasing black bear with that rifle. Maybe you could look for one of the smaller Leupold 4x scopes with the 28mm objective. These generally have a duplex reticle, which should be visible enough in most light.
05 January 2023, 01:20
john c.well, i did get a scout type scope, 4x, bushnell. haven't even had a chance to dial it in yet.